Combined extensible wrench and pliers



NAV. 3, 1925.

L. O. STEINKE COIBINED EXTENSIBLE WRENCH AND PLIERS Filed April V, 1925 UNI.:

Bv A M ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

v UNITED STAT-Es 1,559, a19 PATENT OFFICE.

LEROY o. STEINKE, or sroxANn, WASHINGTN.

COMBINED EXTENSIBLE WRENCH AND PLIERS.

Application filed April 7, 1925.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, Lnnoiv O. STEiNxE, a

citizen of the United States, residing atv pair of pivotally connected jaw arms car-y rying jaws on their outer ends that are serviceable as wrench and plier jaws.,

In a wrench capacity, I provide novel means for holding the jaws in the desired or necessary longitudinal position in order to obtain the required spread of the jaws. i In a plier capacity, I provide novel means lfor reducing the spread of the jaws irrespective of their` longitudinal adjustment, and in a contracted position of the jaws, longitudinally speaking,nI obtain a maximum leverage when the jaws are closed against either something that is to be pulled or turned.

It is also a feature of 'my invention to provide a device of this character wherein the user can by his thumb, of the wrench gripping hand, freely adjust the jaws longitudinally, and by gripping the wrench, he can with the ngers of the same hand, also contract the jaws.

The device of my invention has many other `features which will be more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawing and which will be more particularly pointed out in and by the appended claims.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a combined'wrench and pliers illustrative of the preferred form of `my invention, with the jaws partly extended Fig. 2 is a sectional view yshowing the jaws retracted;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2,- with the jaws extended-and illustratingA how the.

device may be used as pliers; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.,

Like characters of reference designateJY Serial No. 21,433.

similar parts throughout the different fig-A i ures of the drawing. y

As shown, my invention includes a casing 1 having relatively narrow side walls 2 and 3, and wide side walls 4. it is a feature of my invention Vto provide a casing of substantially the same exterior' cross-section so that it can the more readily be firmly and uniformly grippedby one hand. ora portion of the length ofthe casing, Vwall 2 is.

provided with a slot 6` of corresponding length, for a purpose which will .presently appear.r On the interior of wall 2 isan arm holding tooth 7, and in the opposite wall 3- is a slot 8 to accommodate a lever to be later described. In order to enablepme to make with an opening 9, to facilitate the attach` ment of a spring. I make the interior of wall 2, inclined at 10 as shown, to form an abutting wall'against which one of the jaw arms may rest when the arms are being contracted.

Reference will next be made to my improved jaw arms and the novel manner in which the latter are adjusted and manipulated. I f f I employ a pair of jaw arms 11 and 12, which are pivotally connected at their inner ends at 13, and each of which'is provided on its outer end with a jaw, as shown at 14 and 15, 'for use either in a wrench or plier capacity. Means, such as a spring 16, an` chored at 17 to arm 12 andha'vingits free end engaging arm 11, serves normallyk to hold said arms as fully spreadas the casing will permit, irrespective ofthe longitudinal adjustment of said arms in said casing. Arm 11 has a .series ,of notches 18, anyk 365 recessed on an incline as shown at 5, and is f vthe casing all in one piece, I provide wall 2 one of which'may coact with tooth 7to hold f 4said armsl in their longitudinally adjusted position. An adjusting finger grip `19vhas a stem 20, extending throughv slot'6, andv between said grip 19 and the inclined por.- l

tion 5, and normally holds the arm 11 in f I the position shown in Fig. 2 against abutment wall 10, and with one of the notches 18 engaged with tooth 7 .n In order to make the `tooth 7 and notches 18 more veffective they are made rectangular instead of: rounded, so that instead of slipping into and out of vretaining engagement, it will be necessary to manually disengage the notches from the tooth. The spring 16 is placed high on the arms so that it will assist in keeping the notched engagement unimpaired.

An arm-displacing lever is indicated a; 22 and is disposed in slot 8 and pivoted to the casing at 23. I preferably provide a loosepivot by elongating opening 24, so that throughout the major length of leveiI the latter will engage arm 12 in continuous abutting relation irrespective of the longiof the casing and against arm 12.

In vie-w of the fact that the arms 11 and 12 are in all adjustments necessarily in `diverging relation, I provide the jaws 14 'and 15 with recessed surfaces 28 and 29, which will be substantially parallel in the different adjustments shown, or so nearly so as to be entirely eifective.

I will neXt describe the operation of my device.

If it were desired to grip a small nut, and the wrench arms were in the adjustment shown in 1, the user would press the thumb of his right hand against grip 19, thereby shifting arm 11 to the right and out of engagement with tooth 7. Then the user would retract grip 19 downwardly, as in Fig. 2, until the jaws 14; and 15 substantially tittheunut closely. IIe would then register the nearest notch lwith tooth T, to engage the saine, and thus the arms 11 and 12 would beheld to the longitudinaladjustment shown in Fig. 2. Theyconld not spread because the casing walls 2 and 3 would prevent such action, and the interposed nut would prevent the yjaws from coming closer together. rlfhus a rigid adjustment would be afforded for wrench service. y

In this same adjustment shown in Fig. 2, suppose itV was desired togrip a wirevto Ipull or extract the same, then the longiof `the. longitudinal position to which the arms `are adjusted. In Fig. 3, I have'shown the arms adjusted to approximately the rsame position shown in Fig. 1, and :have illustrated thel lever 22 forced inwardly to con tract vthe jaws 111 and 15 vto a greater extent of the arms.

than in Fig. 1. It will be noted that all four fingers of the right hand will embrace casing 1 abreast of lever 22, and hence the arms on their outer faces will be in flat abutment against wall 10.0 and lever 22, with no chance to vibrate .as regards the lower ends rlhis is due in great measure to slot 24, which permits the lever 22 to be moved bodily at both ends toward arm 12. A greater purchase is afforded in the adjustment shown in Fig. 2, when the device is used for pliers, by reason of the low position of pivot 13, as regards arms 12', whereby a Vmuch greater leverage isA possible.

It is believed that the device of my invention will be fullyiin-derstood from 'the foregoing description; and Vwhile I have herein shown one specific form of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereto eX- cep't for such limitations vas the claims may import. i

I claim 1. In a combined extension wrench and pliers, a casing, a pair of pivotally connected jaw arms extensible in 'said casing whereby different adjustments of said arms can be obtained by extending or retracting said arms with respect to said casing, means normally acting to spread said jaws 'against .said casing, and means 'mounted on *said casing for forcing one vof said arms into different degrees of closed relation with respect to the remaining arm irrespective of the extensible adjustment ofisaid arms rwith respect to said casing.

2. In a combined extension Y'wrench and pliers, a casing having an arm-holding tooth, a pair of pivotally 'connected jaw arms eXtensibly disposed in said casing and one arm having a series of notches forcoaction with said tooth to retain said arms ini various degrees lof extensibility, said arms having aws on'theirouter endsloutside said casing, and means carried by said casing 'andadapted toact upon the unnotchedarm to force the latter toward the 'notched arm, whereby various degrees of closure of said jaws may be eifected iny any degree of eX- ten'sibility of said arms.

3. In a, combined wrench and pliers, a casing having an armholdingtoothon one interior` side thereof, an arm-displacing lever pivoted in an Vopening `in that'side of said casing opposite to the first-named side thereof, a spring normally urging said lever toward Vthe interior of said casing, a pair of pivotally connected jaw arms YeXtensibly disposed in said casing and yhaving jaws on their outer ends and one of said arms having a series of notches for coaction with said holding tooth, an'armeadjusting linger grip slidable vin said casing and connected with said notched arm for extending or retracting said arms lto vary the spread of said jaws, lthe 'unnotched arm being adapted to be acted upon by said lever and moved toward said notched arm.

4. In an extensible wrench, a casing having a holding tooth, a air of pivotally connected jaw arms provi ed with wrench jaws and being eXtensibly disposed in said casing, that arni nearest said tooth having a series of notches for selective engagement with said tooth, finger grip means connected 10 with said notched arm and extending slidably through said casing and adapted to be manually actuated to disengage said notched arm from said tooth and eXtensibly to adjust said arms, and a spring interposed between said means and casing for holding said notched arm in engagement with saidv tooth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I hereby aix my signature.

LEROY O. STEINKE. 

